Drink dispenser



July 18, 1967 P. DE LORENZO DRINK DISPENSER Filed May 20, 1966 W SW 53 FIG.2

PIC-3.3

INVENTOR. PAUL DE LORENZO S Y a R M Wm E/M n ma United States Patent 3,331,536 DRINK DISPENSER Paul De Lorenzo, Detroit, Mich., assignor to The Delfield Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed May 20, 1966, Ser. No. 551,683 Claims. (Cl. 222108) This invention relates to a drink dispenser and more particularly to improvements in a dispensing apparatus having a special utility in dispensing beverages and the like.

It is well known in the art to utilize a drink dispenser having a cabinet divided into at least two compartments with one of the compartments containing, as an example, a plurality of syrup tanks and the other compartment defining a cooling compartment in which is located at the bottom thereof a stationary non-movable cooling plate. The cooling plate is provided with a multiplicity of fluid circuits therein. The circuits of the cooling plate are connected at one side to the syrup tanks and to other conventional fluid sources and one the other side thereof to faucets which are located above the compartments. The beverages are dispensed through the faucets as is well known in the art. Ice is placed in the cooling compartment on top of the cooling plate so as to chill or cool the liquids flowing therethrough from the syrup tanks and other fluid containers to the aforementioned faucets.

Many mainenantce problems have been encountered in the art in connection with cleaning the stationary cooling plate and other areas of the cooling compartment. Dirt, syrup and other gummy substances have collected on the cooling plate and the surrounding area of the cooling compartment thereby creating difficult maintenance problems. In addition it has been difficult to drain the water collected in the bottom of the cooling compartment due to the location of the stationary cooling plate.

The present invention has overcome the aforementioned problems by mounting the cooling plate in the bottom of the cooling compartment for pivotal and swinging movement in order to permit more effective maintenance. In addition, a drain is provided in the bottom of the cooling compartment which may be connected through an appropriate hose to a sump. The cooling plate is pivotally mounted on one end thereof, with the other end thereof being provided with a latching element which, when the cooling plate is raised, will engage a hook or catch located exteriorly of the cooling compartment. When the cooling plate is in a raised position it is possible to clean the bottom of the cooling compartment and cooling plate and remove foreign matter, syrup and other substances therefrom. When the cooling plate is in the operative horizontal position at the bottom of the cooling compartment, it is spaced above the drain opening in order to permit any water to escape from the compartment through the drain opening.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a drink dispenser comprising a housing having a pair of compartments, with one of the compartments serving as a storage compartment for syrup containers, and the other of the compartments serving as a cooling compartment, with the cooling compartment having a pivotally mounted multiple circuit cooling plate in the bottom portion thereof in order to permit the cooling plate to be raised when required for maintenance purposes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drink dispenser comprising a housing having a pair of compartments, one of the compartments serving as a storage compartment for sources of liquids, and the other of the compartments serving as a cooling compartment, means for cooling the cooling compartment, faucet means located above the cooling compartment and located exteriorly thereof, a multi-circuit cooling plate in the cooling compartment, means pivotally mounting the cooling plate for swinging moveinent from an operative horizontal position to an inoperative vertical position to permit cleaning of the cooling compartment, and conduit means connecting the sources of liquid through the cooling plate to the faucet means.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a drink dispenser of the aforementioned type wherein the cooling plate is provided with a latching element engageable with a catch located exteriorly of the cooling compartment when the cooling plate is in the aforementioned inoperative vertical position.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a drink dispenser of the aforementioned type wherein the pivot means includes a pair of arms fixedly connected to one end of the cooling plate at opposite sides thereof and pivot pins connecting the arms to wall portions of the cooling compartment.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a drink dispenser of the aforementioned type wherein the one end of the cooling plate is spaced from the rear panel of the housing to permit storage of a carbonator tank in the cooling compartment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drink dispenser of the aforementioned type wherein a drain opening is located in the bottom wall of the cooling compartment, with the cooling plate spanning and spaced above the drain opening when the cooling plate is in the aforementioned operative horizontal position.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a drink dispenser of the aforementioned type wherein the cooling compartment is provided with a removable door in the top wall thereof to permit the cooling plate to be moved to the aformentioned inoperative vertical position.

It is thus another object of this invention to provide a simplified low cost structure of the aforementioned type having certain advantages contributing to efliciency, reliability and long life as well as ease of maintenance.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the ,drink dispenser with certain portions removed in order to expose features of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fluid circuit illustrating the connections between the various sources of fluid, cooling plate, and the corresponding faucets in the order mentioned.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

The drinking dispenser illustrated in FIGURE 1 is designated by the numeral 10 and includes a cabinet 12 mounted on a frame 14. The cabinet 12 includes a rear panel 16, a pair of side panels 18, a bottom panel 20 and a top panel 22. The aforementioned panels or walls may be made, as an example, from stainless steel and welded together prior to mounting and welding the cabinet 12 on the frame 14. In many cases the side panels are made from a heavy gauge cold rolled metal which is painted as desired.

The entire frame assembly is supported by a plurality of legs 24. Each leg 24 is of the type known as a rigid tapered leg provided with adjustable hexagonal bullet-feet for convenient wrench adjustment. The cabinet 12 includes a middle wall or panel 26 which divides the interior of the cabinet 12 into a pair of compartments 28 and 30. Compartment 28 defines a storage area in which, as an example, may be located a plurality of syrup containers or tanks 31, 32 and 33 located in a support 35. The tanks are available in two, three, or five gallon size and are each provided with a quantity of syrup under pressure as is well known in the art. The tanks are provided with quick disconnect gas fittings. Compartment 28 is provided with a tilt-out door 34 which is pivoted at the bottom thereof. The tank support 35 may be mounted on the door 34 for convenient filling of the tanks. The door 34 is provided with a handle 36 near the top thereof so that a person may grip the handle 36 to open the door 34 and thereafter remove and then replenish the syrup tanks. A water pump 37 is also located in compartment 28 and is connected to a conventional water source as is Well known in the art.

The compartment 30 defines a cooling zone or compartment. The cooling compartment 30 is provided around the sides and bottom thereof with suitable insulation 38 which, as an example, may be made from polyurethane foam. A stainless steel liner 39 is provided in the compartment 30 at the sides, bottom and top. A heavy duty cold or cooling plate 40 is provided with multi-circuits and is made, as an example, from aluminum. The cooling plate 40 is specially designed to give maximum heat transfer from the ice located within the cooling compartment 30, eliminating the necessity for any mechanical means of refrigeration. It has also been found by utilizing ice for cooling purposes that a large percentage of drink dispensing malfunctions have been eliminated. Opposite sides of the cooling plate 40 at one end thereof is provided with a pair of brackets 42 and 44. The brackets 42 and 44 are fixedly secured to the cooling plate 40. The brackets 42 and 44 are in turn appropriately connected, as an example, to the middle partition 26 and the end wall 18 respectively by means of pivot pins or elements 46. The back end of plate 40 is spaced from the rear panel 16 as i1- lustrated in FIGURE 3.

The other end of the cooling plate 40 is provided with a centrally located latching element 48, the free end of which is provided with a hook as best illustrated in FIG- URE 3. The cooling compartment 30 includes at the rear of the cooling plate 40 a carbonator tank or container 49. The tank 49 is located within the ice compartment to insure maximum carburetion.

The front of the storage compartment 30 may be provided with a front panel or door 50. Means may be provided to permit the door 50 to slide or in certain applications the door may be fixed.

The top panel 22 immediately above the cooling compartment 30 is provided with an opening 54 having a slide or door 56 therein which when open will permit a person to drop ice into the cooling compartment 30 on top of the cooling plate 40.

The drink dispenser further includes a cooling tower 60, as an example, made from stainless steel, and having a hollow column 62 through which the conduits are directed to corresponding outlets or faucets 64. The tower 60 is provided with a plurality of electrically operated faucets 64, each faucet having an electrically controlled switch as is conventional in the art. The column 62 is provided with a drain trough 65, which forms a catch, above the top panel 22 engageable with the latching element 48 of the cooling plate 40 when the plate 40 is in the inoperative vertical position. The plate 40 is moved about the pivot means 46 and through the opening 54 to the vertical position illustrated in dotted lines in FIGURE 3 in order to permit various maintenance and cleaning functions to be performed.

The bottom of the cooling compartment 30 is provided with a drain opening 66 which is adapted to be connected by a conduit, not shown, to a sump or basin. The cooling plate 40 is provided with a locating member or spacer 68 engageable with the bottom of the compartment 30 in order to hold and space the plate 40 above the drain opening 66. Wtih such a construction any water in the cooling compartment 30 will have continuous and free access to the drain opening 66.

The tanks 31, 32 and 33, pump 37 and the tank 49 are each connected to a circuit of the cooling plate 40 by a 4 conduit 71 as best illustrated in FIGURE 2. The conduits 70 may be in the form of rubber hoses or any other type as is well known in the art. Each circuit of the cooling plate 4%? is in turn connected to a faucet 64 by a conduit.

72. It should be appreciated that all conduits 72 must be resilient, as an example, rubber hoses, in order to permit the cooling plate 40 to be raised or elevated and then returned to the operative position.

It should be appreciated that FIGURE 2 illustrates a typical circuit and that other forms may be utilized. As an example, the incoming water could be directed through a primary and secondary cooling coil prior to combining with the CO gas in the carbonator tank 49 which is located within the ice storage compartment 30 to insure maximum gas absorption into the water. Regardless of which type of circuit is utilized it will be appreciated that the syrup is chilled by means of individual circuits prior to its delivery at the faucet, eliminating the necessity of storing the syrup under refrigeration.

The drink dispenser 10 is designed to dispense up to 750 glasses (full 6 oz. glasses) of beverage per hour (dependent on temperature of incoming water) 'at 40 F., insuring a uniform high quality drink even at peak period loads.

The electrically operated faucets 64 are provided with feather touch controls to enable the operator to draw two drinks at one time.

As an optional feature, the drink dispenser 10 may be provided with a conventional syrup railadapted to hold, as an example, five jars, four standard pumps and one heavy duty chocolate pump. In certain applications an ice machine may be provided which automatically dispenses into the ice storage compartment a s-ufficient quantity of ice as required.

The drink dispenser 10 may also be provided with a low pressure Water regulator or a high pressure Water regulator or a high pressure carbonator and pump depending on the particular application and specifications as is well known in the art. Combination faucets may be utilized which permit drawing coarse soda (SW) from carbonated faucets and plain water (W) from noncarbonated faucets. The three ditferent flavors or syrups are designated by S1, S2 and S3 in FIGURE 2.

It should be appreciated that the heavy duty cooling plate 40 is not only adjustable as heretofore described in order to facilitate maintenance and cleaning functions but can also be completely removed from the compartment 30 after disconnecting the various conduits. At such time the inner circuits in plate 40 can be cleaned.

The drawing and the foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved drink dispenser in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A drink dispenser comprising a housing having a pair of compartments, one of said compartments serving as a storage compartment for sources of liquids, and the other of said compartments serving as a cooling compartment, means for cooling said cooling compartment, faucet means located above said cooling compartment and located exteriorly thereof, a multi-circuit cooling plate in said cooling compartment, means pivotally mounting said cooling plate for swinging movement from an operative horizontal position to an inoperative vertical position to permit cleaning of said cooling compartment, and conduit means connecting the sources of liquid through said cooling plate to said faucet means. A

2. The drink dispenser defined in claim 1 wherein'said cooling plate is provided with a latching element engageable with a catch located exteriorly of said cooling compartment when said cooling plate is in the aforementioned inoperative vertical position.

3. The drink dispenser defined in claim 1 wherein said pivot means includes a pair of arms fixedly connected to one end of said cooling plate at opposite sides thereof and pivot pins connecting said arms to wall portions of said cooling compartment.

4. The drink dispenser defined in claim 3 wherein a latching element is connected to the other end of said cooling plate engageable with a catch located exteriorly of said cooling compartment when said cooling plate is in the aforementioned inoperative vertical position.

5. The drink dispenser defined in claim 4 wherein the means for cooling said cooling compartment is ice.

6. The drink dispenser defined in claim 4 wherein said one end of said cooling plate is spaced from the rear panel of said housing to permit storage of a carbonator tank in said cooling compartment.

7. The drink dispenser defined in claim 7 wherein said faucet means are electrically operated.

8. The drink dispenser defined in claim 4 wherein a drain opening is located in the bottom wall of said cooling compartment, with said cooling plate spanning and spaced above said opening when said cooling plate is in the aforementioned operative position.

9. The drink dispenser defined in claim 4 wherein said cooling compartment is provided with insulation made from polyurethane foam.

10. The drink dispenser defined in claim 4 wherein said cooling compartment is provided with a removable door in the top wall thereof to permit said cooling plate to be moved to the aforementioned inoperative vertical position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 338,906 3/1886 Zwoyer 62398 X 668,482 2/1901 Bernstein 222146 X 968,378 8/1910 Marsden 222146 X 1,251,898 1/1918 Layman 165-86 1,614,455 1/1927 Cooke 165-86 X 1,772,111 8/1930 Rice 222131 X 2,750,076 6/ 1956 Welty et a1 222-129.l 3,232,489 2/1966 Bufi'ington 222-408 3,250,433 5/1966 Christine et al 222-131 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DRINK DISPENSER COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A PAIR OF COMPARTMENTS, ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS SERVING AS A STORAGE COMPARTMENT FOR SOURCES OF LIQUIDS, AND THE OTHER OF SAID COMPARTMENTS SERVING AS A COOLING COMPARTMENT, MEANS FOR COOLING SAID COOLING COMPARTMENT, FAUCET MEANS LOCATED ABOVE SAID COOLING COMPARTMENT AND LOCATED EXTERIORLY THEREOF, A MULTI-CIRCUIT COOLING PLATE IN SAID COOLING COMPARTMENT, MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID COOLING PLATE FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT FROM AN OPERATIVE HORIZONTAL POSITION TO AN INOPERATIVE VERTICAL POSITION TO PERMIT CLEANING OF SAID COOLING COMPARTMENT, AND CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING THE SOURCES OF LIQUID THROUGH SAID COOLING PLATE TO SAID FAUCET MEANS. 